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Bible Pathways 09/08/04

2004Sep 01

COMMENTS

September 8

Read Ezekiel 25 - 28

In Today's Reading:

Gentiles (nations) judged; judgment on Tyre's king and the fate of Satan who inspired him; future regathering of Israel

Tyre was situated on the Mediterranean Sea and was one of the richest cities of the world. Its wealth was not gained from war, like that of Babylon, but from commercial business. Its fleet of ships was the greatest of all nations. Ezekiel prophesied: The Word of the LORD came to me . . . I am against you, O Tyrus (Ezekiel 26:1,3). God foretold that Tyre would be fully destroyed, not only because of its immoral idolatry, but also because it was rejoicing over the downfall of Jerusalem and that its competition no longer existed. It was saying: Aha, she is broken . . . I shall be replenished (grow rich), now (that) she is laid waste (26:2).

Only God, who rules over every detail on earth, would be able to say: They shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken. . . . you shall be built no more (26:4-5,14). Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the mainland city. During that long siege, the city's administration and wealth were moved to the offshore island section of the city. But, more than two centuries later, Alexander the Great besieged Tyre, which was then just an island city nearly half a mile from the mainland. Since Alexander had no fleet, his men used the stones from the walls of the ancient mainland city to build a causeway to reach the island and destroy it exactly as prophesied: You shall be no more (26:20-21).

The attitude of Tyre should be a warning to those who rejoice when their competition goes bankrupt, or to the Christian who resents the success of his rivals in the church or in the business world. Christians have much to repent of here. Our gossip does more damage than we can imagine when we rejoice over the so-called failures of others. Of course, with God, there is no failure. Now the works of the flesh . . . are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (sensuality), Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (discord), emulations (jealousy), wrath, strife, seditions (dissensions), heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). It is a fact that all who reject Christ as Savior and Lord will be cast into hell.

However, the Good News is that God proclaims salvation to all through the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (I Corinthians 6:11).

Christ Revealed:

As the One who will execute judgment upon Satan (Ezekiel 28:14-19; also Rev. 20:1-10,14).